Ukriaine-Russia War: Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday said a Russian drone struck a civilian vessel with Indian and Azerbaijani citizens in Black Sea, leaving the ship’s captain killed and one crew member injured. According to Ukraine’s President, the vessel was carrying corn and was owned by Türkiye.
"A horrific strike by two Russian drones on a civilian vessel in neutral waters carrying corn and owned by Türkiye. Azerbaijani and Indian citizens were on board. As of now, unfortunately, we know that the ship’s captain was killed. My condolences. The fate of one other person is still being established. Eleven crew members were rescued, one of them injured," Zelenskyy said in an X post.
ALSO READ: 'Russia Stood With India When Others Backed Pakistan': Jaishankar's Strong Message To Western Powers
Ukraine has repeatedly proposed concrete steps to de-escalate the situation and ensure security in the Black Sea, he said, adding that there have also been relevant proposals from third countries, but Russia consistently chooses terror and sinking civilian vessels instead of normal maritime navigation.
"Pressure is needed to restore global food security. And everyone who is genuinely interested in this must help," he added.
Pharmaceutical Warehouse Owned By Indians Attacked, 1 Killed
The development came the day after a pharmaceutical warehouse belonging to Indian owners was attacked in Ukraine's Sumy, leaving one employee killed. Zelenskyy on Sunday expressed his condolences to the family of the man killed in the attack.
In a social media post, he said, "This morning, the Russians once again struck the Pivnichnyi Bridge in Kyiv with a drone. They attacked an ordinary pharmaceutical warehouse in Sumy with drones. Tragically, one person was killed."
The Ukrainian President expressed his condolences to the victim's family. The Ukrainian Embassy in India identified the pharmaceutical factory as Indian owned. "The aggressor does not care that this is not a military target. It does not care that this is a pharmaceutical factory producing critically needed medicines," the Ukrainian Embassy said on X.
The barbarians do not care that the factory belongs to Indian owners, it added, asserting that the hypocrites continue talking about the "historic friendship" between India and Muscovy. In reality, death and destruction are the true face of Russian fascism, hidden behind the mask," it further said.
Meanwhile, Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Sunday said India has moved beyond advocacy and stepped up its efforts in recent months for the resolution of the Ukraine conflict by engaging in conversations with both Kyiv and Moscow. His remarks came days after Russian President Vladimir Putin said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has "good ideas" to find a mutually acceptable solution to the conflict.
(With PTI inputs)
You May Also Like To Watch